In terms of the bokeh aesthetic, is using a wide aperture the same as using a narrow aperture and focusing on a foreground object?
Are there advantages of doing it one way or the other?
I took this ...

My budget range: Don't want to spend more than $1000.00
My goal: Taking nice portrait shots with bokeh and blurry backgrounds in non-studio places like standing next to a graffiti wall in a street.
...

I have been looking for a technical explanation for the glitter/texture sometimes appearing in bokeh, usually when you have light coming through a object that scatters light like glass.
I am of cause ...

I have a Fujifilm HS25 EXR and its minimum aperture is F2.8, but I want it to be F1.8 (my dream is to achieve the bokeh effect) Is there a way of getting a lower aperture for my camera; maybe a lens ...

I'm trying to get some bokeh using a compact (almost premium) camera, a Nikon Coolpix p300 (although the question is general).
Since the camera hasn't got a manual focus option, I'm trying to use the ...

I have been primarily shooting with a Canon 18-135 f/3.5-5.6 for several years now, and I am not completely satisfied with it. The problems I have are:
A bit too wide on the low end
A bit too short ...

If the background is moving, like a street full of people and you're shooting a stationary subject with the Brenizer method, how does that work? When you stitch up the surrounding area wouldn't it be ...

I recently purchased a Sigma 30mm f/1.4 lens for my Canon 450D and noticed soon that at least wide open, any bokeh circles in the lower half of an image (in landscape orientation) seem to have their ...

I am quite sure a bunch of folks from this forum are going to be shooting in the 2013 Detroit Auto Show, so here goes!
I understand that optimal settings vary depending on the circumstancial lighting ...

Like many others, I have been a great fan of Ryan Brenizer since a long time. Though I have never tried the Brenizer method of panaromic portraits in my professional photography assignments, I still ...

I used 50mm @ f1.8 to take a portrait snap. Light source (fancy lights) was near to subject (~3-5ft). I couldn't get bokeh with big circles with the subject there, but without the subject I could get ...

What prime lenses can you recommend for producing pleasing bokeh on the Micro Four Thirds cameras like the Panasonic GH2/3?
I'm interested in both Panasonic and non-Panasonic lenses (including using ...

I have been wondering how to achieve a great portrait effect I have been seeing a little bit more lately.
The portraits are usually washed out, but blacks are still deep (not dull), and there seems ...

I am interested in taking pictures with a very shallow depth of field, and also willing to have the option to have the bokeh effect,
I'm not an expert in photography so I'm really confused about what ...

As an example, a 35mm lens on a crop body (such as Nikon DX) is said to be "equivalent" to a 50mm lens on a full frame body. Equivalent here means that they will have the same field of view, but what ...

Is the term Gaussian blur used strictly in post-production, or can it also be used as a term for an out-of-focus area in your image when you-re taking the picture? I'm pretty sure that bokeh is used ...